A. Field
The present invention concerns a device for winding and unwinding hoses, cables or the like.
B. Related Art
On construction sites or the like it is often found, in practice, that elongated flexible materials such as hoses, cables and the like are often left lying about on the ground, which entails a considerable risk of people tripping over them. It is also found that gathering loose, often very heavy hoses or cables is difficult and puts a heavy load on the back.
Devices in the form of what are called reels are already known, which mainly consist of a wheeled undercarriage, onto which is provided a rotatable drum for winding and unwinding a garden hose or the like.
A disadvantage of such known reels is that they are relatively sizeable due to the presence of the above-mentioned drum and that the construction of such reels is relatively complex, as a result of which the assembly thereof takes much time.
Another disadvantage of such known reels is that they are not fit for winding very long and/or thick hoses or the like, since the dimensions of the above-mentioned drum are very large then, as a result of which such reels are then unmanageably large and heavy and are difficult to put away.
Another disadvantage of such known reels is that relatively much material is required to manufacture such drums, as a result of which the cost price of such reels is relatively high.
An additional disadvantage of the known reels is that, if the above-mentioned drum is small, electric cables and the like, after having been unwound, still have loops, which is inconvenient and which may result in knots.
Another additional disadvantage of the known wheeled reels is that the hose or cable must lie straight in order to be able to wind it properly and to avoid that the hose or cable becomes entangled.
Another disadvantage of the known reels for electric cables is that, while in use, when a considerable amount of the cable is still wound on the drum, this cable may become very hot, since the part of the cable which is wound against the drum, cannot give off sufficient heat to the environment, as a result of which the cable or the reel may be damaged due to overheating.
Another disadvantage of the known reels is that they are provided with moving parts which are liable to wear.
The present invention aims to provide a solution to one or several of the above-mentioned and other disadvantages.